Improvement in melodeons



@uiten .tetes @stent @fitta LA FAYETTE LOUIS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

Letters Pittem No. 65,822, dated June 18, 1867; medaiecl June 11, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN MELODEONS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONOERN:

Be it known that I, LA FAYETTE LOUIS, ofthe city and county' of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Melodeons; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection .with the drawings which accompany and form partof this specification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practise it. 'l

The present invention relates tc the construction of tremolo-valves of melodeons, and to the method of applying such valves, and of bringing them into operation,and the drawing represents so much of a melodeon embodying my improvements as will enable the invention to be readily understood- Figure 1 showing a plan of the mclodeon Case and the valves.

Figure 2, a cross-section through the front of4 the bellows.

Figurer?, a side view, and

Figure 4, an end view of the tremolo valve-board and valve.

Figure .5, a. front view ofV that part of the case at which the direct-action valve is locatedv1 a (see particularly iig. 2) denotes the melodeomframe or case; b (fig. the bellows; c the reed-hoard; d one of the reeds; e the valve box or chamber, the bellows connecting with this boxthrough openingsf, over which openings, and within the box, is along valve, g, which I term the direct-action valve. This valve is held open in normal position, (as seen in tig. 2,) while when closed it shuts oit communication (through the openingsf) between the bellows and the valve-box and reeds above it` The bellows, operated in the usual manner by exhaustion cr rar'efaction of the air within them, draw down the air through the reeds and produce the required sounds. The tremolo-valve is seen at 7L, figs. 1, 3, and 4. This valve ishinged to the under surface of a' valve-hoard, 1.', and opens and closes a valve-opening, 7c, through the valve-board, the valve playing in a passage or opening, l, (seen by dotted lines in iig. 1,) communicating with the bellows-chamber. The valve h is kept in normal position by means of a lever, m, fulcrumed in the valve-board as seen at n, (figs. 1 and 3,) and connected at o with the vibrating end of the valve, the opposite end of the lever having along screwgp, (see tigs. 1 and 3,) extending from it, upon the outer end ot' which screw is a weight, g, the gravity of which draws the valve against its seat. The extent of movement of the valve t is determined by means of two buttons r, upon the ends of adjusting-screws s (see figs. 1 and 3) which work through the valve-board, the valve opening more or less accordingly as the but-tons are xed ata greater or less distance from the valvc-board by means of the screws.

In the operation of the melodeon the long ordirect-action valve gis held normally open, as seen in tig. 2, by the upper end of a lever, x, (upon which the valve rests,) and a spring, t, acting upon said lever (see figs. 2 and 5.) The lower end of said lever extends down at the front of the bellows and into position where it is readily operated by a slight lateral movement of the knee of the performer. When he wishes to Aproduce the tremolo, he presses the lower end of the lever, which depresses its upper end and allows the valve g to close by gravity. The action of the bellows must new draw the air from the reedchamber through the tremelo-valve h, which by means of the weight applied vtheret'ois caused to vibrate or pulsate and produce the desired trem nlous e'ect. The adjustahility of this weight, and its location, enable the valve to be readily adjusted to the power of the bellows, and in order to regulate the quickness of vibration of the valve, the buttons or stops which determine the extent of movement of the valve are made adjustable so as to regulate this length of vibration.

It will be observed that by applying the valve-board z' immovably to the bellows-board, or secured to it by* screws or other similar fastenings, and vibrating the valve through this board, (pivoting the lever directly in the valveboard,) and employing the auxiliary valve g for closing the direct passage ot" the air from the reeds to the bellows, in contradistinction to hinging the tremolo-valve in a valve-box or cover, and hinging this box so that by its elevation the air passes directly through the passage beneath it without vibrating the tremolo. I am enabled to introduce the tremolo into instruments in which the space between the reed and bellows-boards is toe shallow to otherwise allow of snch introduction, except by increasing this depth, which increase is geni erally impractieable. By the common :1.,pplica1'zionj in order to have af proper distribution of air when the tremolo is not in action, the hinged box used would have to be built'nearly as long as the keyboard, in order to allow the whole key-board to be influenced by the tremolo7 making a very expensive construction constantly liable to get out of order, whereas in my arrangement, by employing o. simple valve, g, as the directaction"-valve, I get the desired distribution of a-ir through the same, and obtain the tremulous action through a separate valve arrangement of only suibeient capacity to allow the interrupted air to pass through.

I claim combining, with :t tremolo-valve, LLliingeLl directly to an immovable erixed valve-seat, an auxiliary valve7 g, for regulating the direct passage of the air from the reeds to the bellows, substantially as described;

I also claim, in, combination with the valve 171V, the lever fm., and its counterba-lnneing weight g, when this lever is pivotecl or hung directly in or to the valve-benul, substantially as set forth.

I'also claim applying such weight to the lever by means of an adjusting-screw, substantially as set forth.

Also combining with the vulve g the buttons r, made adjustable with respect to the valve-seat substantially as described. y

Also combining with a tremolo-valve 7L, and a direct-passage valve, a lever extended down from the valve to such position that it may oe operated by the knee or foot of the performer, substantially as set forth.

LA FAYETTE Louis. v

Witnesses:

F. GOULD, 5. B. CROSBY. 

